2nd Annual Local Foods Summer Dinner
Fresh from the farm and the fields, Macomb’s second annual Summer Dinner will be held at 7 p.m. Saturday, August 8, 2009. The event, which features an array of local foods, is hosted by the Food Initiatives Group (FIG) and will again be held at the Sullivan Taylor Coffee House and neighboring Taylor Hall on Macomb’s historic downtown Square.
With a menu to tempt any palate, the dinner will be served in three courses, beginning with a tomato and cheese bruschetta and ending with a succulent lemon pound cake with fresh blueberry jam and crème fraiche. Guests will have a choice of braised chicken topped with corn salsa, braised beef tenderloin with caramelized shallots and red wine jus, or Shitake mushroom polenta tart as a vegetarian/vegan option. All entrees are served with wheat berry salad and whole wheat French baguettes. Guests are welcome to purchase wine or beer from The Wine Sellers during the dinner.
“It’s a very magical night in Macomb, supplied by people who care for our earth and environment,” said Vajo Necak, FIG member and organizer of the event. He added that last year’s dinner guests commented that the food was “delightful and exquisite.”
In an effort to fulfill its mission of involving community members in supporting a fair, sustainable and local food system, all the fruits and vegetables for the dinner are locally grown and the meats are from nearby farms. The produce will be purchased from Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) groups in Macomb, LaHarpe and Good Hope, as well as the Macomb Farmers’ Market vendors. The beef and chicken are raised on farms in Macomb, Plymouth and Colchester and are grass-fed and free range. The bread will be made from wheat grown in Macomb, the mushrooms are from Vermont, IL, blueberries from Oquawka, and the herbs used in all the dishes are from Macomb and Adair.
Attendees will receive a guide to over 50 sources of locally grown or prepared foods and will have the opportunity to meet some of these producers face to face.
Necak said there is a nationwide movement toward buying locally grown foods for health, financial and environmental reasons.
“When you eat locally grown food it means you are receiving the freshest produce and meats from a local farmer,” he said. “And it is supporting local agriculture and the local economy, which infuses our money in our area.
“By buying and supporting local foods, people are reducing the carbon footprint that comes from delivering foods from far away places. It makes common sense to buy locally and support a new profitable industry that is not only healthy to our bodies but to our environment,” Necak said. “Get on board.”
Tickets are now on sale for $30 each and seating is limited. For more information or to purchase tickets, contact Vajo Necak at 309-837-2338 or email vajonecak@yahoo.com. Tickets are also for sale at New Copperfield’s Book Service in Macomb.
FIG is a grassroots non-profit group whose members believe that local food systems build community, enhance food security, grow the local economy, and can improve environmental protection. For more information about FIG and its programs, visit www.macombfig.org.
Read about the first FIG local foods dinner held in August 2008.